Canal



'0e sshts 1;. (MM d 1') C. HOFFMANN. ees ee l CANAL.

Patented Deo. 3, 1'889.l

N. PETERS, Phalumagmpber, wnnhingmn, D c.

3 SheetsfSheet 2.4

(No Model.)

C. HOFFMANN.

CANAL.

Patented Dems, 1889.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet a.

(3.'1-10PFMANN. GANAL.

, No. 116;613. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HOFFMANN, or MAGDEBURG, rRUssiA, GERivIANn'AssIeNoRfTo GRUsoNwERK,or SAME PLACE.

CANAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. i416,613, datedDecember 3, 1889.

Application filed August 19, 1889. Serial No. 321,291. (No model.)Patented in Germany February 1, 1888, No. 44,915; in

Belgium September 19, 1888, No. 83,321, and in Austria-Hungary December20, 1888, No. 31,814 and No. 54,356.

T0 a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CARL HOFFMANN, a subject of the King of Bavaria,residing at Magdeburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Canals, (for whichI haveobtained Letters Patent in Germany, No. 44,915, dated February 1, 1888;in Belgium, No. 83,321, dated September 19, 1888, andin Austria-Hungary,No. 31,814 and No. 54,356, dated December 20, 1888,) of which thefollowing is a-full, clear, and exact specication.

' This invention is designed for lifting vessels in canals from onelevel to another Where the difference in level is so great that the`object cannot be accomplished by means of the ordinary lock or sluiceat all, or only by using a great quantity of water. The object hasheretofore been obtained by means of two troughs tilled with water anddesigned for the reception of the ship lor vessel, and which, by meansof two pistons moving in hydraulic cylinders, were caused to communicatewith each other, or else by means of one trough which rested upon a oatsituated in a powerful cylinder and adapted to move up and down thereinaccordingly as the weight of the trough was increased or diminished bythe increase or diminution of the water in the trough, the movementbeing regulated by Vmeans ofa pipe, provided with a cock, connecting thetwo ends of the cylinder together and affording an exit for the quantityof water displaced. It is well known that such an arrangement has manydisadvantages, the most prominent ot which, probably,

is the necessity for an exceedingly large cylinder, even for theelevation ot' vessels of ordinary size, which renders a tight packing orjoint in the cylinder almost impossible.

My invention has for its object to obviate these difficulties; and itconsists in features of novelty which will first be described inconnection, with the accompanying drawings, and then more particularlypointed out in t-he claims.`

In said drawings, Figure I is a general vertical sectional view of theapparatus and associated parts, taken on the line 1 1, Fig. II. Fig.

terminate, as usual, at the pit 3.

II is atransverse section taken on the line 11 nection with the lowerlevel of the canal. Fig. III-is a similar view showing the trough andboat elevated to the higher' level. Fig. IV is a diagrammatic plan viewof the apparatus, and Fig. V is a perspective View of the hydrauliccylinders and'system of pipes the upper and lower terminals of thecanal,4

and it is provided at each end, in the usual manner, with any suitablesluice-gate. At both sides of the trough are arranged anumber ofsuitable vertical guideways 10, which serve to steady the troughwhen'inits upper position and contine its movement strictly to thevertical, and which are themselves suit-- ably braced and supported bythe trestle-work,

11 of the structure. The pit 3 is of course lled with water, and theiioats 4 5 are of such size that their buoyancy will be as nearly aspossible equal to or slightly less than the` weight of the trough 9 andits contents, so that it will be seen it will require but very littleextra force in either direction to causethe trough to rise or fall. Thisforce may be brought about in any suitable manner-for instance, byhydraulic pressure, or by the increase or diminution of the water inthetrough. In the event the latter course is pur sued, the position of thetrough relative to the upper level of the canal is such that after thesluice-gates are opened a sufficient quancome the buoyancy of the iioats4 5, whereby the boat will be-lowered `to the level `2, and when it isdesired to elevate the boat` the trough, if then full, is emptied ot' aportion of -tit-y of water flows into the trough to over- 50 1l, Fig. I,showing the trough and boat in conits water through its end gate or anysuitable discharge-port, whereupon the floats 4 5 will buoy it up to thehigher level. g

The construction thus far described is only that which is generallyknown and adopted, the object of my invention being to provide improvedmeans for locking the trough in its upper or lower position and toimparta positive movement thereto regardless of the weight of itscontents.

In providing a structure of the kind described with my improvements, Iarrange atY remembered that the buoyancy of the floatsA and the weightof the trough are nearly equal, it will be readily seen that a slightpressure of Wat'er in the cylinders to one side of the pistons willimpart a positive movement to th'e floats, and also that the confinementof water in the cylinders to one side of the pistons after they havereached the ends of the cylinders will prevent their movement in theopposite direction, and consequently lock the trough in position. Theseresults are accomplished by means of the apparatus which is more clearlyshown at Fig. V, from which it will be seen that the upper -,ends of allthe cylinders are connected together by means of two pipes 16 17, theone 16 extending downward and underthe bed of the upper level of thecanal, as shown in Fig. I, so as to connect with the cylinder on theopposite side, While the one 17 extends under the bed of the lower level2 for the same purpose, and the two pipes are connected with each otherby means of a lU-coupling 23, while the lower ends of the cylinders areconnected together by means of two pipes 18 19, one of which extendsthrough the wall of the pit while the other goes under the level 2 ofthe canal, and which connect, respectively, with two upright l pipes 2O21, the two latter being crowned by a U-coupling 22. Each of theseU-couplings 22 23 has an upwardly-projecting neck 24, which necks areconnected together by means of a pipe 25, extending across the canalunder the bridge 26, upon which latter is supported a tank or reservoir27, connected to the pipe 25 by means of a pipe 28. Thus ycommunicationbetween the upper as well as size to contain such quantity ofvfater. Inorder, however, that the cylinders may not give up their water beforethe proper moment arrives, and thus permit the premature rise or fall ofthe trough, I provide the necks .24 with cocks 29 30, wherebycommunication with the tank 27 maybe shutoff aud the discharge from thedesired ends of the cylinders thus prevented, the cock 29 being for theregulation of the tlow from the upper while the one 30 regulates theflow from the lower ends of the cylinders.

In the operation of the apparatus it is found that the weight containedin the trough is not always uniform throughout its ent-ire extent, whichnon-uniformity has a tendency to cause the trough to rise or settleunevenly. To obviate this ditliculty, I provide each leg of theU-coupling. 23 with a cock 3l, whereby when the trough is rising thedischarge from the upper ends of the cylinders may be decreased by theturning' of one of these cocks accordingly as the weight is on the rightor let't hand of the trough, the legs of the U-coupling 22 being ofcourse provided with similar cocks 32, for similarly regulating the flowfrom the lower ends of the cylinders. The lower ends of the legs of theU-coupling 23 are connected together by means of. a crosspipe 33, whichhas connected to it a downwardly-extending pipe 34, that leads ott toany suitable pu mp 34 or other source of hydraulic pressure forimparting the requisite pressure to the pistons. The pipes 20 21 arealso connected together below the cocks 32 by means of a cross-pipe 35,from which extends a pipe 36, which runs upward and extends across tothe other side,preferably under the bridge 26 and tank 27, and connectswith the pressurepipe 34 just below the regulating-cock 37 inthe'latter, whereby the lower ends of the cylinders also may be suppliedwith pressure by opening the cock 38 in the pipe 36.

The operation of the apparatus may be brieiy stated, as follows: Thelock keeper or operator stands upon the platform 39 or 40, withinconvenient reach of the stop-cocks in and about the U -coupling 22 or23. The boat enters the trough 9 from the level 2, for instance, and thecock 29 being closed to prevent the premature rise ot' the trough theop- TOO IIO

erator opens this said cock, which permits the water to be forced out ofthe upper ends of the cylinders into the tank 27, and Water already insaid tank to be at the same time drawn into the lower ends of thecylinders by the upward movement of the piston 13, caused by thebuoyancy of the iioats 4 5, sufcient water of course having been let outof the trough 9 to make the weight of the latter less than the upwardpressure of the floats. When the trough reaches the upper level, thecock 30 is closed, to prevent the exhaust from the lower ends of thecylinders and the consequent downward movement of the trough when thesluicegates are opened, and the boat is towed from the trough into theupper level 1. As soon as the sluicegates are opened waterfills thetrough to its utmost capacity, whereupon itsy weight becomes greaterthan the floats can bear, and therefore as soon as the cock 30 is openedto permit the exhaust from the lower ends of the cylinders the troughand its contents again descend to the lower level, the cock 29 closes,and the quantity of water in the trough diminishes.` If desired,however, the device may be operated Vwithout the decrease and increaseof the quantity of water in the trough by simply opening the cocks 3738, accordingly as the boat is to go up. or down, to'let in pressurefrom the pump or other source of pressure. lVhen this isdone, however,it is of course necessary to close either the cock 29 or 80, accordingto the end of the cylinder to be filled. The cocks 3l 32 are then giventhe additional f unctionof regulating the pressure admitted to thecylinders, thus enabling a uniform rise of both ends of the trough, asWell as regulating the exhaust, as before described.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as newtherein and desire to secure by Letters Patent: A

l.` The combination, with'the floats, hydraulic cylinders, andpistons'in said cylinders connected to said floats, of pipes connectingthe ends of said cylinders together at'one side and pipes connectingthetends of said cylinders together at the other side of said drauliccylinders, and pistons in said cylinv ders connected to said floats, ofa tank, pipes connecting the upper and lower ends of said cylinders withsaid tank, and cocks arranged `in said pipes between the cylinders andbetween the cylinders and tank, whereby the flow to or from saidcylinders may be regnlated according to the pressure required in thecylinders at either end of the floats, substantially as set forth.

et. The combination, with a source ol"` pressure, the floats, thehydraulic cylinders, and pistons in said cylinders connected to `saidfloats, of a tank, pipes connecting the upper and lower ends of saidcylinders with said tank and a pipe connecting said source of pressurewith the aforesaid pipes, and

cocks guarding a'll of said pipes, substantially as set forth.

4 C. HOFFMANN. lvitnesses: t

JULIUs VON SCHTZ, -EMIL KALLNECKER.

